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Step 1: Silence
Three long years that seemed comparable to eternity. Three years since she had last muttered a single word. Three years since her parents had been murdered right in front of her face. Today was Anika’s birthday and her foster parents, James and Rydia Alexander had done their best to make their adoptive daughter happy, that much Anika was aware of. They had adopted her and had tried their hardest to make her feel as a part of their family, they wanted her to feel that she was loved. The young Anika understood that very well but she still didn’t feel at ease with these people. She could never call this place home, and she could never call James and Rydia her parents, and she would never say another word to anybody ever again until she could find a way to make things right again.
Anika picked up her doll, Janice from her bed and hugged her toy. Janice was the only possession she had left of her time with her real parents; her house had been burned down while her parents were murdered, presumably by the same people who killed Thomas and Lucrecia Jansen. She didn’t feel hate for the killers that took everything away from her. She had in the beginning, but nowadays, she only felt as empty and as indifferent as a human being could be. Looking at her bedroom around her, Anika could see indeed all of the efforts that james and Rydia had put into her well-being. A small wooden desk with a computer on it was at her dispostion. Her bedroom sheets were filled with printed flowers on them and the wallpapers arounfd her were filled with printed teddy bears. In one corner of the room, various sized teddy bears were sitting in the corner, waiting for her to play with them.
But despite all that, Anika cared for only one personnal belonging and it was her doll, Janice. None of these other gifts mattered to her.
A knock on the door interrupted her from her thoughts and the young girl went, still grasping on to Janice very hardly. She opened the door to see Rydia Alexander.
« Anika, dear, how are you doing today? » said the woman softly and gently.
The young girl looked at her guardian and shrugged.
Rydia was a beautiful young woman. At the age of 27, she was a very caring person and indeed a loving mother. She had long auburn hair and a caring look in her bright brown eye. All of the other kids that she and James had adopted were fond of her. Anika could feel that Rydia had special concerns about Anika’s well being because she hadn’t spoken a single word in the last three years and because she always stayed by herself, leaving her bedroom only to go to school, where she kept to herself, to go to the bathroom and to eat with the rest of this « family » .
« Do you want to come downstairs dear? » asked the caring woman.
Anika shook her head.
« Do you want us to celebrate your birthday? It’s your special day today and we’ll do everything that you want… »
Anika shook her head again.
Rydia sighed and little Anika could feel the desperation in her eyes even though the woman tried o hide it in front of her adopted daughter.. Anika approached the woman to give her a long hug and went back in her room, closing the door behind her.
She simply didn’t feel like having fun today.
The memories that haunted her kept on playing in her mind as they had every single day for the last 3 years…
Somehow, she knew that having fun would not work and that the pain would always be there…
So why bother?
As Anika closed the door to her room, Rydia felt tears flowing out of her eys. This was too much for her. She had never failed as a mother to any of the children she had adopted before. But Anika was just too much. She ran to the living room , hiding her face in her palms and stopped in front of the telephone.
What else could she do at this point?
She and her husband had tried to giove the world to Anika and she refused it. She wasn’t happy here.
What had she done wrong?
Shaking at the thought of what she was about to do, Rydia picked up the phone.
« I’m sorry Anika… » she whipered to herselfé
She dialed a few numbers and listened on as the phone rang.
« Central District Police, how can I help you? » answered the receptionist
« I’d like to talk to Patrolman Ridley Song! » said Rydia, sobbing.
« Please hold on! »
A soothing music played as she waited for her old friend to pick up the phone.
« Song » he answered finally.
« Ridley, I can’t do this anymore, she’s not happy with us here… » she said sobbing
« Rydia? What are you talking about? » answered the patrolman with a surprised tone
« Anika, she’s not happy with us… »
A moment of silence.
« I’ll see what I can do… » he said, failing to hide the dissapointment in his voice.
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